Natural Instinct
by SillyKwado
Summary: When Berwald met Tino Väinämöinen, the new personal secretary for Lars, for the first time, he resisted his Alpha instinct to take over the wonderful Omega smell and claim it for himself. When Tino first met Berwald, he resisted his own instinct to submit to the powerful smell. Yet, natural instinct still had a tendency to prevail. Prelude to True Nature. SuFin! Omegaverse!
1. Chapter 1

A/N

This is a SuFin prelude to True Nature. It takes place about a year before True Nature. You don't need to read it first, but I apologize if something doesn't make sense because I didn't explain it very well in this story.

Also, this story will have some strong language, especially in the second chapter.

* * *

_"-And then he said something about _me_ not doing it right. But what does that guy know, yeah? I mean he already screwed up the Dodge _and_ he refused some guy service because he was 'unawesomely creepy'. I mean, c'mon, how can someone just decide that? If that was the case then everyone would deny _you_ service, am I right?"_

"Mathias," Berwald practically growled into the phone. "Wha' d' ya want? I'm workin'." He glanced around making sure that his boss wasn't nearby to witness the phone call. Though, usually, Mr. Honda never really comes to this floor nor is he really strict, but just in case. Berwald doesn't want to get on his bad side… if the Japanese Beta had a bad side…

_"Well, yeah, I know that. But I haven't heard from my little bror in forever!"_

Berwald rolled his eyes. "We live together, ya see m' all th' time."

_"True… but I can't call to check up on ya?"_

"Not you."

_"Well, that was mean. Fine. I was callin' ta see if ya were stoppin' by the store on the way home. I mean, it is your day to make dinner after all."_

"I know, an' nej, I'm no'. Why? Did ya nee' somethin'?"

_"Sorta… I'm almost out of my suppressants and I was wonderin' that maybe you could…?"_

"No."

_"Whyyyyy nooot…?"_ his brother whined through the phone.

"Because I don't nee' 'em an' ye only don't wanna go because ya jus' don't like bein' seen with 'em," Berwald responded back. His older brother Mathias was an Omega who liked to keep his nature suppressed by taking both heat and smell suppressants, which usually never bothered Berwald except for times like these when Mathias wanted him to go get more. It was just a bit awkward for the large Alpha to be in the Omega's suppressants aisle at the store… he gets weird looks and the Omegas tend to stay away… or laugh. Neither of those things was good. And this was why he's still single.

_"Please Berwald? I'll make it up to you! I'll pay you back for the suppressants! And… and I'll wash the dishes for the week!"_

"Mathia-"

_"The month! I'll do it for the month!"_

Berwald sighed. "Mathias, I hate goin' there."

_"Me too!"_

"Why don't ya jus' order 'em online?"

The other end was silent for a moment before, _"Huh… I never thought about that…"_

Berwald wanted to throw the phone across the room. Sometimes his brother got under his skin like no other person can. Why they still lived together, he'd never know. Oh wait, he did know. They're both still painfully single. Although Mathias claims it's "being free," Berwald just kind of thinks it's lonely… and a bit sad.

"Is tha' it?" Berwald asked rubbing his head. He thought he could feel a migraine coming on.

_"Yeah… oh! Can you not fix something Swedish tonight? I don't like Swedish-y food."_

"Mathias, I am Swedish."

_"So…?"_

"So tha' means I'm fixin' Swedish food."

_"But-"_

"Goodbye, Mathias," Berwald said and ended the call.

He gladly shoved his cell back into his pocket and turned back to the paperwork he had been doing before his brother called. Berwald was the head of the editing department in Honda Publishing. He was in charge of all of the different editors within the department, and doesn't have too much of a chance to edit any actual manuscripts anymore like the other editors. Though, every now and then he will still take on a children's story – those were always his favorite.

He glanced through a couple of packets before a knock came at the door.

"Come 'n," Berwald said, while taking off his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose.

"Hallo, I have the contract that you requested."

Berwald stood up as Lars Bakker walked into his office and handed him the packet. Lars was the head of the Contracts and Rights department. He was very intelligent and held a degree in Law, but had absolutely no social skills. He tended to be awkward around other people and a little bit cold too. Berwald could relate.

"Thanks," Berwald said as he was handed the document. He began to scan through it, not wanting to hold up Lars any longer than needed to be.

"Geen probleem… no problem. There's no rush. Just hand it to my personal secretary once you're done. He's new. His name's Tino Vain… uh… Vain-something… His name's Tino."

Berwald nodded and Lars walked out of the office. That's what Berwald liked about the Dutch Alpha, he was quick and concise – straight to the point. Unlike a certain brother of his.

* * *

A few hours later still found Berwald in his office. Although he was long finished with the contract Lars gave him on his desk, he still had yet to return it. Today it had been one thing after another, and he just hadn't found the time. Speaking of time…

Berwald pulled out his pocket to check the time, only the find that he had a message.

**Mathias: [6:27] hejjj u sure u don wana go2 de store?**

Berwald sighed and quickly typed back a response.

**Berwald: [7:08] No, I already have everything I need.**

**Mathias: [7:08] D:**

**Berwald: [7:10] Why didn't you just order it online like I said?**

**Mathias: [7:11] i don hav mony :P**

**Berwald: [7:15] Didn't you just get paid on Friday?**

**Mathias: [7:17] mayyyyyb… plz waldo?**

**Berwald: [7:18] No. Get it yourself.**

**Mathias: [7:19] D':**

Berwald silenced his phone and put it back into his pocket in case Mathias wanted to bother him some more. He wasn't going to give into his older brother's demands again. He hates getting those suppressants and that's what Mathias deserved anyway for spending all of his money.

He stood up and stretched, glancing at the packet on his desk. He supposed now was as good as time as any to return it to Lars. He needed to do it before the day was up anyway, and he was at a good stopping point in his paperwork.

Berwald picked up the packet and began heading towards Lars' department. He just needed to give it to the secretary right? What was his name? Tino something? Yeah that sounded about right… he was new though, that was a bit annoying. Most people were intimidated by Berwald. Whether it's by his Alpha nature or his glaring face. This will probably be just another secretary who will avoid him. Then again, he was working for Lars, so maybe there was hope for him yet.

He reached the floor and headed to where Lars' office was located. Outside of it should be a desk where the secretary was. He'll just leave the packet and get out of there as quickly as possible.

Berwald took some more steps toward the secretary's desk, where someone was busily filing something in a cabinet behind the desk, before it hit him. It was like a wall slammed into him. He felt dazed and his thoughts were a jumbled mess. The only thing he could get through his muddled mind was that it smelled _really_ good.

It was… it was cinnamon and cookies and pine cones rolled into one smell. It smelled like winter and sugar all at once. It was such an indescribably incredible smell. It was nothing that he's ever smelled before that's for sure. He did know that he wanted the scent forever, and no one else could have it.

Berwald could feel his possessive nature start to take over and realized that he was still at work. He quickly tried to suppress the urge to overtake the smell and ignore it. All he had to do was drop off the manuscript and then quickly get out of there. Heck, he could probably go home after he was done here. He just needed to _move_.

After a few more deep breaths, he felt confident enough to continue to the desk. Luckily the secretary still hadn't noticed he was standing there. He took a few more steps to the desk when the boy working at the desk stopped and quickly turned his head to stare at Berwald.

His expression looked so frightened that Berwald felt instantly bad for coming to Lars' department in person. He should've gotten someone else from his department to return the packet!

Berwald went up to the desk and took a deep breath – first mistake. The smell was way stronger over here, which meant that the Omega in front of him was the source. Berwald froze and about gave into his instinct to conquer. He quickly regained control over himself.

"Here's th' pack't," Berwald said quietly hoping he didn't notice the shake in Berwald's voice and not wanting to scare the poor Omega more than he already had. He shoved the packet at the boy who looked up at Berwald in shock and the Swede finally got a good look at the sweet-smelling secretary – second mistake.

He was adorable. The Omega had fair blond hair that was slightly tousled as if he got out of bed in a hurry this morning. His mouth was slightly parted with pink, slightly chapped lips. They weren't as plump as a woman's but they still looked soft. He looked at big purple eyes which resembled sparkling gems, but there was a slight wetness at the corners.

_Shit!_

Berwald thought as he quickly let go of the packet and jumped back. He must've been scaring the poor boy half to death. Berwald felt his heart break as he muttered out an apology and scurried away as fast as could.

He missed the Omega's sigh of disappointment.

* * *

Tino was having a good dream about giant candy canes and puppies (except he was in a blue dress, but no one needs to know about that), until his alarm cut through like a shock. Tino groaned and buried his head hoping to block out the shrill sound.

However, the annoying sounds persisted no matter how much Tino groaned.

Finally, Tino snapped up his head and glared at the still-ringing alarm clock.

"Stupid alarm," mumbled Tino squinting at the red numbers. 6:52.

"Oh crap!" Tino exclaimed jumping out of bed and running to his closet yanking out the clothes he needed. He needed to be at work by 7:30 and it took almost 20 minutes to get there! He was going to be late!

He threw on the clothes and ran to the bathroom. He quickly brushed his teeth and ran his fingers threw his bed head a few times. He finished up in the bathroom and quickly shut off his stupid alarm clock that was still going off, on his way to the kitchen. He grabbed some toast and headed out the door.

It was only his second day at work and he was already making a bad impression. He bumped his head against the steering in frustration as he was stopped by another red light. To be truthful, his boss kind of intimidated him. He was a 6'1" Dutchman who looked angry all the time, or at least disinterested in everything. He had little room for mistakes which Tino tend to often do. And, to make matters worse, the guy was an Alpha!

Not that Tino had a problem with Alphas, his best friend Lukas was one, but sometimes they scared him. They were always so aggressive and angry. Tino liked to have fun and have little care in the world. However, he needed this job. Lukas helped him get this job. Apparently, his Alpha friend knew the owner of the company, and called in a favor. So, the least Tino could do was try.

He finally made it to the company and ran up to where the department was located. He glanced at the clock as he made it to his desk. 7:21.

He sank into his chair with a relieved sigh. He made it.

Someone cleared their throat from behind him, causing the poor Omega to jump up from his chair and spin around. Lars Bakker, his boss, was standing there staring down at him.

"Mr. Bakker! I didn't know- I didn't see you there!" Tino forced out. He was still trying to make a good impression, so far it didn't look like it was working. Then again, maybe the Dutchman always looked so judgmental.

"It's okay, Mr.-… er, what's your name again?" the Alpha answered.

"Tino. Tino Väinämöinen, sir."

"Right. Mr. Vainamomemen… Vainamomen… Vaina- uh…?" Lars gave Tino a look that said "help me." Tino almost wanted to laugh.

"Väinämöinen," he said for his boss.

"Vainanmon-"

"Just call me Tino," the Omega interrupted with a slight chuckle, saving his boss from more trouble than necessary. He was glad to see that the uptight Alpha could make mistakes too. Even if it was over something little like Tino's last name.

"Right. Tino. Anyway, I wanted to see if you mind doing me an errand. I just need this delivered to Mr. Honda, could you do that?" Lars asked holding up a thick envelope.

"Sure!" Tino said covering up his underlying nervousness. He's heard about Kiku Honda from Lukas, of course. They were friends or something, but Tino's never actually met the guy, as he was interviewed by Lars Bakker. Everyone he's talked to though had reassured him that Mr. Honda was one of the nicest people you could ever meet.

Apparently, everyone turned out to be correct. By the time Tino returned to his desk a half hour later, he was convinced that Kiku Honda was the nicest person Tino's ever met, and how did he ever befriend someone like Lukas Bondevik? Tino reprimanded himself. Lukas was kind in his own special way, you just had to get past his cold exterior. Besides, his friend helped him out with this job… which he should really thank Lukas next time he saw him… or text him!

Quickly glancing around making sure no one (the boss) was around, Tino pulled out his cell and typed a quick message to Lukas.

**Tino [9:42]: hei lukas! thx 4 getting me the job! ur frined is nice :D**

Tino put away his cell and busied himself with work, which was answering phone calls, taking down appointments, and filing documents.

**Lukas [10:11]: Aren't you at work right now? *friend***

**Tino [10:14]: dont worry im working hard! \^o^/**

**Lukas [10:21]: Alright. How's it going so far?**

**Tino [10:22]: good! the boss is kinda scary but i think hes prbly nice… i hope xD**

**Lukas [10:27]: That's good.**

* * *

Tino was filing a stack of papers in one of the dozens of filing cabinets behind his desk. Geez, it was no wonder Lars needed a secretary. He may seem extremely neat and strict but he was actually very disorganized. Tino about had a heart attack when he saw the state of the piles of papers in his office. At least, the Alpha looked a bit guilty about it.

He was almost through another large stack. He had a few more to file before he could finally take a break from bending over. Filing papers takes a lot out of a guy!

He shoved another file in when he smelled the musky, dominant smell of an Alpha nearby, but this was no ordinary Alpha. Tino has never smelled a scent quite like this before in his life. It was over-powering and smelled like freshly cut wood and the pages out of a book. It was homely and warm, but aggressive and powerful too. Tino quickly looked around, trying to pinpoint the source, but froze when he spotted a large, unfamiliar man a few feet from his desk.

He was huge.

He looked to be barely taller than Lars, and more muscular. Well, Tino couldn't really see the muscles under that shirt, but the sleeves were rolled up showing off powerful arms. Why was he surrounding by all these hot, freaking tall Alphas!?

Tino eyed the Alpha up to his face and locked eyes with the man. His face held a stern glare and his lips were pressed into a thin line. But his eyes were beautiful. They were bright cyan.

Tino didn't even notice when he started to shake. He had no idea why he was doing it. Was he scared of the large Alpha? Possibly, but that couldn't be it could it? Sure, the guy looked angry, but the scent smelled too good to be aggressive.

He remembered something that his mother told him a long time ago about when she met his father. It was something like "when you smell a smell like no other in the world, then it's a good thing. Don't worry, you'll understand when you get older." Tino wanted to roll his eyes. He still didn't understand exactly what that meant, but this must have been what his mom was talking about.

"Here's th' pack't," the Alpha said quietly. He had a deep, heavily accented voice which Tino found endearing. Then he realized that man was talking to him as the packet was quickly shoved at him. Tino looked up in shock from the force of the Alpha, and he almost asked to go home with the nice-smelling guy right there.

What was he thinking! He was stronger than that! Oh how he wished he could've listened to his mother more! It's hard being the only Omega out of his friends of Betas and Alphas. What should he do? But it looked like the guy made the decision for him as he quickly backed away and scurried off.

Tino stared after him until he was out of sight, and sighed as soon as he left. Idiot! He didn't even know his name or which department he worked in! Tino wiped his eyes with the back of hands as he reprimanded himself for the loss of that amazing smell- wait… tears? Tino had no idea why he was crying. He didn't feel scared or anything!

All he felt now was emptiness.

**Tino [7:36]: i hate u lukas bondevikkkkk! DX**

* * *

Berwald made a point not to return to Lars' department. In all honesty, he rarely had to deal with them anyway, but he made an extra effort not to see them. He really didn't want to get near that secretary again. It was bad enough the boy haunted his thoughts and dreams constantly now, and those dreams were just only getting worse. Almost every night recently, he's woken up hot, sweaty, and hard. One night, his dream was so vivid that Mathias had burst into his room half-asleep asking nonsense about him being in heat. Berwald made every attempt to have a dreamless sleep after that.

He sighed looking at the line for the coffeeshop close to his building. It would take forever to get through that line and he didn't get a very long lunch break. He took it a bit later than usual today and happened to hit the rush hour he assumed. Luckily, he did know of a small café down the street that wasn't as popular. He had never visited the place but he's heard only good things about it.

He quickly made his way to the café, ignoring all thoughts of Tino and focusing on work. He had to go over a few more manuscripts today. Oh and he needed to talk to Yong Soo too. Just because he was the owner's cousin, it did not mean he could slack off. That boy was something else. Berwald wondered about how old Tino was. Obviously he was old enough to be working at the company. He still looked so young. Berwald shook his head. He wasn't going to think about Tino!

Berwald entered the café to find it had a good crowd of people but not a long line. The amount of people covered up any one's smell and it had the overlaying scent of coffee and freshly-baked pastries.

He stood at the back of the line and looked around. Berwald had never been in here before but it was quaint. A little bare on the walls but that was probably because it was new. It had a good atmosphere though, and Berwald wondered why he never bothered to try this place out before.

Berwald noticed he was next in line as the smaller man in front of him quickly paid for his order. He grabbed his drink and spun around only to trip and run straight into Berwald.

The coffee was probably scalding hot and his shirt was probably ruined but he wasn't paying any attention to that. He was only looking at the blond man in front of him – Tino.

"Perkele!" Tino cried. "Oh my god! I am so sorry!" He looked up with a red face and gasped. Berwald quickly snapped out of his daze when he heard the man's voice. He hadn't heard it before but it was better than what any of his dreams could ever come up with. The sound had a cute accent to it that just completed his person.

"Ah, it's alrigh'," Berwald replied looking down at the badly stained shirt. It actually wasn't good, but Berwald wasn't about to say that.

"Oh no," Tino groaned. "It's most definitely not right! D-do you have a spare shirt or something?"

Berwald paused. It was hard to understand the man when he kept staring at Berwald with such pretty eyes. He was beautiful. "No… bu' I do have a jack't at th' office."

"Well, I still must repay you!"

"There's no nee'," Berwald said earnestly. _Just talking to you is enough._ He moved around the shorter man so he could give his order. "Black venti with th' col' turkey san'wich, an' wha'ever he ordered." He pointed back to Tino with his thumb.

"Wait, what?" Tino asked shocked.

"Ya spilled mos' of yer drink on me didn't ya?"

Tino looked down sadly at his drink. "Oh… right…"

"Alright," the cashier said. "So, a black venti with a turkey sandwich and a venti half-caf, soy, white chocolate mocha with peppermint, a pump of hazelnut, and no whip, right?" Berwald looked at Tino in shock who blushed furiously.

"You don't have to get it! I'll pay for it!" Tino tried to argue but Berwald ignored him and said, "Yes, that's righ'."

She told Berwald the price and he paid for it while continuing to ignore the Omega's protests.

Berwald gave the drink to Tino who was now pouting.

He sighed, "D' ya wanna pay me back so badly?"

Tino looked at the Alpha. "Of course! It was my fault after all!" he said.

"Fine. Ea' with me." Berwald blushed slightly at the words he just said and Tino looked stunned.

After a moment, Tino replied with a shy "alright."

They chose a table near the edge next to the window. Berwald was beginning to regret it though because there were less people here and Berwald could start to smell the Omega's sweet scent.

Now that Berwald finally had the cute Omega to himself, he had no idea what to say. He definitely didn't want to make a fool out of himself by blurting out whatever was on his mind, so he just stayed quiet.

"So…" Tino slowly started, breaking the silence. Berwald guessed that Tino didn't like silence. "Y'know, I don't think I ever caught your name, Mr…?"

"Jus' call me Berwald," the Alpha replied.

"Well, then! Nice to meet you, I'm Tino!" Berwald nodded in response. He wasn't trying to be rude, he was just quiet. He prefers to listen rather than talk.

Tino opened his mouth to speak again when Berwald's cell started to vibrate loudly against the table. He glanced at it then shoved it into his pocket. He looked back at Tino to continue.

"Aren't you going to answer it?" Tino asked with a (cute) head tilt. After all, it could have been important.

Berwald shook his head though. "No… It was m' brother. He can wait."

Tino smiled slightly. "You have a brother?"

"Ja…" Berwald said with a sigh. "He's annoyin', bu' he's m' brother."

"I know that feeling," Tino said with a chuckle. "I have two. Well, they're not really my brothers."

Berwald raised an eyebrow and motioned for Tino to continue.

"Um… I guess it started out when they moved in next door when I was, like, 5. I just sort of became friends with them really quick. Lukas, he's older than me, I think he likes to be a big brother to everyone. He's an Alpha see? And, well, I guess he just became sort of an older brother to me." Tino shrugged.

"Then there's his younger brother, Emil," Tino said continuing on. "Emil, even though he's younger than me, kind of has a slight brother complex too… but he wouldn't admit that. I think because he and Lukas were so close growing up, he also wanted to be a big brother. Oh, he's a Beta. And since I'm an Omega, I guess they both wanted to "protect" me, not that I need protecting. I can take care of myself!" Tino chuckled. "What about your brother?"

"Hm," Berwald started unsurely. He definitely couldn't tell someone he barely knows about Mathias' nature since he doesn't really want people knowing… even if that person is totally hot. "Mathias is… m' older brother. He's… annoyin' an' got a big brother complex too. He likes ta prove he's stronger than everyone else… an' pick fights with me. But… he's a goo' person." Berwald shrugged not really knowing what else to say.

"Aww, you're a nice younger brother!" Tino cooed and Berwald blushed.

Tino looked down at his watch. "Oh shoot," he said standing up. "I'm going to be late if I don't leave now. Well, it was nice meeting you Berwald." Tino flashed him a smile.

Berwald's heart fluttered at the adorable smile and he stood up too. "Tino, wait."

The Omega turned and looked at Berwald curiously.

"Go on a date with me?" Berwald couldn't believe he just asked that. Tino blinked at him before smiling shyly.

"Sure."

"Friday?"

"Okei! See you then, Berwald!"

* * *

A/N

Lol I did so much research on coffee for this chapter...

So, I hoped you liked the first chapter of the prelude. There will be one other chapter. It's almost finished, I'm just not completely happy with it yet and I still need to write the last scene.

If there's any questions or confusion please ask! I will try to answer your questions as soon as possible! :P

And I know, the summary really sucked... I'm sorry D:

Please tell me what you think! :D

I'm thinking about eventually making a sequel to this and True Nature that will include MPreg with SuFin and DenNor... and will include some HongIce as well. Tell me if that's something you'd be interested in!


	2. Chapter 2

On Friday, Berwald picked up Tino at his house like a proper Alpha should. They went to one of Berwald's favorite places to eat, a nice restaurant called "La Cucina di Famiglia" which was run by two Italian Omegas.

It had a cozy, comfortable atmosphere with a few couples in there eating and soothing Italian music playing in the background. The only downside to the place was the yelling that came from the kitchen (mainly Lovino), but once you got past that it was really a nice place. Tino really enjoyed it… and the company even more.

Berwald was so much more than he expected. He didn't know what he was exactly expecting when he agreed to a date but it certainly wasn't this. Berwald was one of the nicest and most caring people he's ever met. He may be a big, burly Alpha but he was actually sweet and listened to everything Tino said. Tino honestly didn't even know it was possible for a person to do so, but Berwald seemed to hold onto every word he said.

It also helped that Berwald was smoking hot. Seriously. Tino couldn't wait to see the body under the dress shirt and pants. Calm down, Tino. Now was _not_ the time to get hard.

The more he hung around the Alpha, the more he came to realize how un-aggressive his smell actually was. It actually felt more like home to Tino than anything. The smell of wood and musty books made him want to curl up in a blanket of the smell. It was the most wonderful thing he's ever smelled in his life. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Berwald felt the same way about Tino's smell.

Now they were walking out of the building and slowly strolling towards Berwald's car, not wanting the date to end but unsure of how to tell the other. Finally, Tino couldn't stand it anymore.

"I don't want this to end, yet," Tino admitted turning to Berwald sheepishly.

"Neither do I," Berwald said honestly. He was glad that Tino felt the same way.

"Really?" Berwald nodded in response and Tino smiled.

"Well," Tino started. "I know of a great bar nearby…"

Berwald's lips twitched into a small grin and he nodded.

* * *

Berwald groaned. The sun was too bright and everything was too loud… or was that just the repeated pounding in his head? What time was it anyway?

He blindly reached a hand over to the nightstand to grab the alarm clock, but instead knocked into the lamp. Wait, lamp?

Berwald's eyes flew open. This wasn't his room. Even he could tell that without his glasses. Where were his glasses anyway… or his clothes for that matter?

Then he noticed the smell. How did he not notice it first? The entire room smelt strongly of Tino, sex, and… Tino.

What the hell happened yesterday…?

He remembered going on the date then Tino suggested the bar afterwards. Then his memory kind of got blurry. He remembered drinking and laughing… which was strange for Berwald… and drinking some more. Apparently, Tino can hold his own… Berwald, not so much. Now somehow, he was here in Tino's room…

Berwald looked at the Omega next to him. Tino was adorable, even when he was drooling in his sleep. Berwald smiled fondly at the sight (of Tino sleeping, not the drool). Then he noticed the hickeys.

Oh shit.

Did he mate with Tino last night!? He honestly couldn't remember! What the hell happened!?

Gently he pulled back the covers, revealing more of Tino's beautiful pale skin… and more dark love bites. Then he noticed a large, dark reddish-purple one right at the bottom of his neck. It looked like it had bled a bit. That meant Berwald broke the skin… God damn it.

He just made Tino his mate in the throes of drunken sex! Berwald was panicking. How could he not!? He never imagined that _this_ would be how he mated with someone.

What should he do now!? He couldn't just leave Tino here by himself! Especially, now that they're mated…

Tino groaned waking up from the sudden shift in Berwald's smell. The smell of home suddenly shifted to panic and danger. Tino wasn't too worried though, not with his Alpha nearby. Of course, he was still half asleep too.

He yawned and blinked the sleepiness away before smiling at a wide-eyed Berwald.

"Mornin'," Tino said. Then his smile disappeared as his mind caught up to Berwald's panicking expression and the heightened smell. "What's wrong?" Tino asked concernedly.

Berwald furrowed his eyebrows and looked down, ashamed. He still couldn't believe he lost control and did that to Tino. "I'm sorry…" he said finally causing Tino to inwardly panic even more.

"For what? What happened? What's wrong?" Was it something wrong with Tino? Was Berwald regretting being with him? He hoped not.

Berwald slowly looked up at Tino and shook his head. "I didn't mean ta…" he sighed before finally just admitting it. "I mated ya."

"…What?"

Berwald flinched slightly, but at least Tino didn't sound angry… yet. "I mated ya," Berwald repeated point to the mark on Tino's neck. "Las' nigh'."

Tino hesitantly reached up and touched the mark on his neck. "Mate…?" he whispered to himself. "Seriously?" Tino smiled a bit before realizing that maybe Berwald didn't want this. He frowned.

"Are you okei…?" Tino asked. That didn't come out like he wanted but he hoped it got his point across. He wanted to make sure Berwald was alright with being his mate, but Tino also didn't want to come on as too needy.

Berwald furrowed his eyebrows. "Yer… no' mad?"

"Mad? Why would I be mad?"

Berwald didn't respond but his face darkened even more in thought and confusion. Tino could actually smell the confusion through Berwald's scent.

"Oh, Berwald," Tino started with a soft smile. "I'm going to be honest, okei? I really like you. A lot. And I know what happened last night was… unexpected. But I don't regret it… do you?"

That wasn't what Berwald was expecting. He stared at Tino blankly, his mind still processing what Tino just said. He didn't regret it? Tino liked Berwald? He didn't mind being mated to him?

Realizing that Tino was still waiting for an answer, Berwald blurted out, "O' course not! I love ya!" Then he blushed when he noticed what he just admitted.

Tino laughed in relief. "Good, I love you too. I know I've only known you for a few days, but I really do."

Tino curled into Berwald's side relishing in the amazing Alpha scent. He let it wrap around him like a blanket. He felt that there was no place he'd rather be, and Berwald felt the exact same way.

They laid together in each other's arms for a few moments, before Tino glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. 7:15.

"Shit! Work!" he cried, jumping out of bed (and, regrettably, out of the Alpha's warm embrace). He ran around the room yanking clothes out his closet and trying to find a towel so he could take a quick shower. Then he flushed when he noticed Berwald still on the bed and blatantly staring at his naked body.

"Like what you see?" Tino teased, shaking his ass at the Alpha.

Berwald groaned/growled. "Don't do tha' or we'll never make it ta work."

"Well, I think there might be a way we can multi-task," Tino said feigning innocence. Berwald raised an eyebrow in interest. "I think my shower is big enough to hold two…"

Berwald's never jumped out of bed faster.

* * *

After one of the best showers of his life, Berwald quickly drove home to change. He didn't want to show up at work wearing what he wore yesterday on the date. And if anyone asks why he was late, he'll make up some excuse about his brother being extra annoying this morning. He felt bad about using Mathias like that, but he was sure Mathias has done the same in the past.

Actually, he was lucky that Mathias had already left for work by the time he got home. He _really_ didn't want to deal with that conversation right now.

Nobody really said anything to him about his tardiness, probably because they were scared of him. For once, that was just fine with Berwald. He really didn't want to deal with nosy people right now.

It wasn't until later in the day, closer to when Berwald got off of work, that Lars Bakker visited him. It usually wouldn't have been strange, but they had no pressing issues between their departments or documents that needed to be discussed.

"Hallå, Lars," Berwald said in greeting and he stood up as the Dutch Alpha entered his office.

Lars stiffly nodded his head and muttered, "Hallo."

"Wha' brings ya here?" Berwald asked noticing Lars wasn't going to talk first.

Lars took a deep breath before saying, "I want to remind you of our company's dating policy."

Berwald narrowed his eyes at Lars in thought and slight confusion.

"I noticed that… something was wrong with Tino's smell today…" Lars said uncomfortably.

Berwald's Alpha scent heightened slightly in panic and worry, and Lars realized that he didn't quite word that as well as he could have. He put up a hand calming the other Alpha, before explaining

"He smells mated," Lars continued with an expression that says, _Please don't make me say this_. "He smells… like you."

Berwald's eyes widened slightly. He didn't realize that other people would be able to notice. At Berwald's expression, Lars decided that another explanation would be needed.

"Most people won't be able to tell, if that's what you're worried about. Sure, Alpha's are able to smell other Alphas on an Omega's scent, especially if they know one of you really well. I just… recognized your scent on him. I'm sure Mr. Honda won't be able to, if that's what you're worried about. Unless, of course, Tino's good friends with him..."

"Look, Berwald, you're my friend," Lars continued after a moment, when Berwald didn't say anything. "I just don't want you to get in trouble. Keep that in mind, alright?"

Berwald stiffly nodded and his friend left him alone to his jumbled thoughts.

* * *

Berwald sighed when he got home. Today had been stressful to say the least. He already greatly missed Tino's company, and they haven't even been apart for an entire day yet!

He took off his dark blue jacket and hung it up before taking off his shoes. Then he headed towards the kitchen to make himself a coffee.

"So, where were you last night?" came Mathias' voice from directly behind him. Berwald jumped slightly. Shit. He totally forgot about him.

Sometimes he really hated those smell suppressants. He couldn't tell when Mathias was sneaking up on him or not. And Mathias just _loved_ to use that to his advantage.

"I tol' ya I was goin' out," Berwald said, rolling his eyes and continuing his way toward the kitchen.

"Yeah, but you didn't say it would be the entire night," Mathias huffed while trailing after him. "Where were ya anyway?"

"None o' yer business."

"Yes it is. I'm your brother – your _older_ brother."

Berwald rolled his eyes. "I can take care of m'self, Mathias."

"So? I wanna know where ya were." Berwald growled lowly to himself and took a deep breath. Now was not the time to yell at Mathias. It was just an Omega trait he was displaying – worry and uncertainty, especially when their Alpha went missing. Not that Berwald would ever tell Mathias this. All he needed now was for Mathias to get upset then try to prove his "alphaness" for the next week.

"Look," Berwald sighed, turning to face his brother. "We wen' drinkin' and I crashed a' his place. That's all."

"Whose place?"

"A friend's."

"What friend?"

"Mathias!"

Mathias raised an eyebrow skeptically. "So, that's all then?"

Berwald nodded. There was no way in hell that he was going to tell his Omega brother that he lost control and mated an Omega while drunk.

"Fine, I don't believe you, but alright. I'll let it go… this time."

* * *

Tino has never felt this happy in his life. Sure, he was late for work yesterday, but Mr. Bakker didn't seem too troubled by it. In fact, his mind seemed to be elsewhere. Tino hoped it wasn't something bad.

However, not even his lateness could bring down his mood. Ever since, he's met Berwald he's felt whole. He's never felt more connected with anyone, not even with Lukas or Emil. And he felt even happier when he realized today was his day off!

Tino went up to a small, white house and tried the handle only to find that it was locked. So, he went to the railing of the porch and pried off one of the postheads where the spare key was hidden underneath. Emil never should have told Tino where he kept his spare. In hindsight, the Beta probably shouldn't have told Lukas either. He had come home multiple times to either one or both of them sitting at his kitchen table eating his food.

"Hello?" Tino called into the seemingly empty house after he let himself in. He figured Emil was already home since his car was in the driveway but maybe he was wrong.

Tino walked into the house some more before he heard whispering. He couldn't make out what was being said but, being the curious Omega he was, he followed it anyway.

The house was dark but there was an eerie blue light coming from the office in the house. Tino was honestly starting to get a bit creeped out now. He pushed open the door wider and found Emil sitting at his laptop staring at the bright screen with his headphones in. He was watching some Asian boy band video on youtube or something – Tino couldn't tell what it was.

Suddenly, Emil paused the video and whispered "Tao" while stroking the screen.

"E-Emil…?" Tino asked. The Beta yanked out his headphones, jumped out of his chair, and slammed his laptop closed all in one violent motion.

"What! You didn't see anything! What the fuck are you doing in my house!?"

Tino shrugged sheepishly with a smile and held up the spare key. "Came to visit?"

Emil sighed, knowing that arguing with him will get him absolutely nowhere. Lukas and Tino will continue to "break" into his house no matter what he said. "Well, you may as well stay for lunch, Lukas is going to grill fish," Emil said finally.

"Oh, Lukas is coming over?"

"Yeah, he wanted to borrow my toaster... I think he blew up his own..."

Tino chuckled. "Lukas really can't cook anything other than fish."

"No..."

Tino followed Emil through his house to the kitchen and Emil turned on the lights as he went. Emil took out the items that he thought Lukas might need for grilling.

"So, what kind of fish are we having?" Tino asked.

"No idea. Lukas is supposed to be bringing them." Then they heard knocking at the front door. "Speak of the devil… guess, Lukas is here," Emil said as he went to go let in his older brother.

"The spare key wasn't there," was the first thing Lukas said in explanation when the door opened.

"Yeah, Tino used it," Emil said, moving aside to let the Alpha in. Tino smiled when he saw his good friend. It's been a while since he's seen him and he was glad to see that Lukas looked well. The Alpha smelled like snow and pinecones, it felt like a childhood home to Tino.

Lukas frowned when he stepped into the house, subtlety sniffing the air. Then he turned to Tino slowly with the darkest glare he's ever seen. Tino flinched under Lukas' dark look and aggressive smell.

Emil looked back and forth between the brother and the flinching Omega.

"Lukas! What's wrong?" Emil asked.

Lukas growled softly not hearing Emil.

"Lukas!" The Beta cried grabbing his attention for a moment. Lukas narrowed his eyes at Tino.

"Who is it?" Lukas demanded.

"Who?" Tino asked confused.

"The sniveling no-good low-life Alpha that drenched you in his smell."

"W-what Alpha?" Tino said inwardly panicking. How did Lukas know!? How could he smell Berwald!?

"I'll kill him," Lukas growled crutching his hands into tight fists and shaking with rage. He wasn't joking. He really was going to kill him.

"Wait, please don't!" Tino said lurching forward to grab Lukas' arm.

Lukas looked down at the hand clutching his arm and then back at the Omega's eyes causing him to flinch but he didn't let go. "Better start explaining," the Alpha said quietly.

Tino took a deep breath before saying, "His name's Berwald, he's really sweet and I like him… a lot."

That didn't help soothe Lukas' anger however. "I don't care. I'm still going to kill him."

"Lukas…" Emil started. He honestly had no idea what to do, and he usually wasn't one to get in the path of a raging Alpha, even if he was his brother. One dark look from Lukas, however, had Emil snapping his mouth shut.

"Lukas!" Tino cried loudly with a rare display of authority. Usually, this would make any other Alpha feel the need to display their dominance, except instead with Lukas it just snapped him out of his irrational thoughts. Lukas began to calm down.

"You will not kill him," Tino started firmly. "He's _my_ Alpha." At this, the two brothers stared at Tino wide-eyed.

"What do you mean by that?" Emil asked.

"I mean… we're mated." Tino resisted the urge to flinch under his friends' stares and held his ground. Maybe it wasn't the best idea bringing _that_ up.

"How…?" Lukas whispered still staring at the younger Omega.

Emil rolled his eyes. "How else do you think?"

Lukas narrowed his eyes at the Beta. "That wasn't what I meant."

"Two nights ago," Tino interrupted. "I'll admit we were a _little_ drunk, but there's nothing I regret. If anything, _I'm _the one who pushed him into it."

Emil made a face. "Um, yeah, okay. I may be a doctor, but I don't want to hear about your sex life. I think I'll just be in the kitchen… don't kill each other." The last part was directed more to Lukas than Tino. Then he quickly fled into the kitchen before he could hear anything else.

"Why?" Lukas asked. He was doing a better job of controlling his temper compared to earlier.

Tino shrugged. "I love him? He's really sweet and caring. He's a good Alpha and I think you'll like him, Lukas. Please don't kill him and just give him a chance."

The Alpha hesitated before begrudgingly saying, "Fine."

* * *

Berwald muted the T.V. when he heard knocking at the door. Who would be knocking at the door? Mathias left for work a few hours ago and today was Berwald's day off. He wasn't expecting anybody, and he was pretty sure Tino had work today too. (Even though he was just texting him).

Berwald made his way to the door and opened it.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't a smaller, blond Alpha who pulled back his fist and let it loose.

Berwald was knocked back onto his butt and he clutched his bleeding nose. He looked up at the Alpha in wide-eyed shock and confusion.

"You're lucky I promised Tino I wouldn't kill you," the Alpha said in a deep monotone voice. Then he turned around and swiftly walked back to his car.

Berwald continued to stare from the floor as he drove off.

"Tha' must'a been Lukas…" Berwald said to himself finally once the car was long gone. Nice to know that Tino had such good, protective friends…

* * *

"Lukas! I can't believe you!" Tino yelled slamming open the door to Lukas' studio. The Alpha jumped and stopped his work on his newest painting. He looked at Tino in confusion.

"What the hell Tino-" Lukas started but was cut off by the angry Omega.

"Don't you dare 'what the hell Tino' me! You attacked Berwald didn't you!?" Tino went up to the Alpha glaring up at him. Right now would've been the perfect time to gain a few more inches on his height.

Lukas resisted the urge to roll his eyes, knowing that would only make Tino angrier. "I didn't attack him…"

"You punched him in the nose!"

"Okej… but it was justified. Did he tell you or something?" Some Alpha he was.

"No, I asked him what happened and when he wouldn't tell me, I pried the information out of him… I have my ways," Tino finished with a small (slightly insane) smile. Lukas took a step back.

"Okej, Tino calm down."

"Calm down? Fuck that! Lukas, you don't go to someone's house to punch them!"

Lukas rolled his eyes this time. "Well, the damage is already done so…"

Tino growled and grabbed Lukas by the collar of his shirt and brought down the Alpha to his height. Tino could smell the heightened anger in Lukas' scent, but he couldn't bring it to himself to care. He was way too angry right now.

"You _will_ apologize," Tino demanded.

Lukas let out a deep breath before his Alpha instincts could take over and then unhappily said, "Very well."

* * *

Berwald paced the living room as he tried to calm his nerves for the evening. He fiddled with the tie around his neck as he muttered his speech quietly to himself.

Mathias just watched him from the couch amused.

"You're giving me a headache from watchin' you, bror. Why don'tcha sit down for a bit?" Mathias said nodding to the space next to him.

Berwald shook his head. "I can't… too nervous."

"You'll do fine," Mathias encouraged with a smile. Berwald stopped his pacing and gave his brother a pained look.

"Wha' if he says no? Wha' if he changed his mind?"

Mathias rolled his eyes. "Dude, you and Tino have been mated for, like, a year now-"

Berwald narrowed his eyes. "Four months."

"Whatever. Anyway, point is, he stuck with you this long. I doubt he's going to say no to becoming 'official'."

The Alpha looked down at the small, velvet box he was fiddling with in his hands.

"You'll do fine brother," Mathias said with a rare gentleness. "And although your way of finding a mate was… less than conventional, I'm proud of ya. Tino's a good man and he's lucky to have an Alpha like you."

Berwald swallowed thickly and nodded. Then he tucked the box safely away in his pants pocket, patting it just to make sure it was there securely.

"Thanks Mathias," Berwald said finally.

"That's what older brothers are for," Mathias said with a cheeky smile. "Giving good advice and messing with you 'til the end. Man! I still can't believe you mated Tino while drunk! Aren't you supposed to be the responsible one?" Mathias laughed.

Berwald rolled his eyes and ignored his brother's teasings. "Oh, by the way," Berwald said. "If this all goes well, y'know ya will haveta meet Tino's family righ'?"

Mathias stopped laughing. "Wait, what?"

The Alpha raised an eyebrow at Mathias. "It's curtesy. The families of the mated will haveta meet, an' we'll probably be seein' a lot of them."

Mathias groaned. "Er du seriøs? You mean, Leo and Emmet… aren't they both Alphas or something?"

"Lukas an' Emil, an' only one is. Tha other is a Beta." Lukas turned out to not be so bad of an Alpha... after he apologized to Berwald. There was still tension between the two of them, but it was to be expected between to Alphas. Berwald had only met Emil once. He seemed nice enough, a little quiet if anything, but who was Berwald to complain?

Mathias let his head fall backwards and hit the headrest of the couch with a groan. "Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe ya should just stay home… claim yer sick or somethin'."

Berwald just rolled his eyes and looked at his watch. 8:08.

"Time ta go," Berwald said, grabbing his coat and heading towards the door. "Wish me luck."

"Or maybe we could just say you were abducted by aliens…" Mathias muttered to himself from the couch and Berwald huffed a laugh.

He arrived at Tino's house a little bit later, just under 20 minutes. He went up to the front door and paused.

Maybe he shouldn't have done this. What was he thinking? Making a bold move such as this… sure, he was an Alpha, but that doesn't mean he's brash and commanding like his brother (…who's an Omega anyway, so the argument is invalid).

No. He could do this. They've been together for four months and he's never been happier. Tino was… Tino was… indescribable. The Omega is amazing. So full of happiness and joy. He smelled incredible too. Whenever, Tino's around, Berwald could smell the calming scent of his Omega – snow and gingerbread. Sugary and sweet just how Tino should be. Berwald couldn't have asked for a better mate, he didn't know how he got so lucky. Now, it was his turn to return the favor by asking to protect and love him forever.

He patted the box in his pocket and took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

He half-expected the angry Alpha "brother" to answer the door and interrogate him… even the Beta he's heard about but never really met. But Tino opened the door with a wide smile.

Berwald's heart stopped at he stared at the beautiful man. He smelled of pinecones, snow, and candy… what Berwald learned as "happiness" for Tino.

"Hei, Berwald! Just on time!" he laughed and Berwald couldn't help but blush at that cute sound.

"Ya ready?" Berwald asked.

"Yep!" Tino locked the door behind himself and followed Berwald to the car. He giggled a bit at Berwald for being silly when the Alpha opened the car door for him.

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"I know it's no' really fancy," Berwald finally said as they pulled up to the restaurant. "Bu' I wante' someplace special."

"I'm sure it's fine…" Tino trailed off as he looked at the building they pulled up to. La Cucina di Famiglia.

"Ya recognize it?" Berwald asked nervously.

Tino smiled. "Of course I do! This was our first date! I'm surprised we haven't been back here since then though!"

Berwald blushed at Tino's over-excitement. "Ja… it's a bit out of the way."

"True. But it has the tastiest food I've ever eaten! Please don't tell me we're going to sit out here in the car all day!" Tino joked and Berwald laughed.

"No, I suppose we can go in fer a bit."

Tino lightly hit him in the arm for his teasings and then scrambled out of the car in excitement. He waited for Berwald to get out and lock the car before joining their hands and quickly dragging him into the building to escape the frigid air.

They were welcomed by the sound of the familiar Italian music playing in the background and the rich smell of food and spices. They were a few more couples (and a family) than there was last time they ate here all those months ago, but it was still spacious and pleasantly quiet.

They were showed to their booth by their waiter, Lovino, and given menus. After telling him their order, he left and the mated couple was left on their own.

Berwald was so nervous, he could barely pay attention to Tino's story… something about Emil and his fascination with some singer. He had to wipe the sweat off of his palms on his pants multiple times and briefly wondered if he could get a rug burn from it.

He thought about asking Tino now and just get it over with, especially since they were left alone while waiting for their food. But it didn't seem right. He didn't want to do it too early on, in case it ruined the evening. He'll do it after they get their food for sure. Yeah.

"Here you go," said Lovino as he handed them each of their plates. "Would you like anything else?"

Berwald looked at Tino would gave a small shake of his head. Then he looked back at the Omega waiter and said, "No thanks."

Lovino nodded and left with an "Enjoy," and Tino dug in immediately. Berwald smiled fondly at the cute Omega as he moaned when he took the first bite.

"So good, we should come here more often," Tino said with a pointed glance to Berwald.

Berwald just chuckled and took a bite out of his food too.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Tino said. "I found a new job yesterday."

"Really? For wha'?" Berwald asked. Lars had warned them time and time again about the company's policy on having romantic relations with other co-workers. Sure, they weren't even a part of the same section of the company, but Berwald still held a position over Tino's and others may not view it so favorably. So, Lars had been trying to remind them of it. He actually did a really bad job of it, since he wouldn't just say it straight out, but Berwald knew what he meant.

"You know that bakery where I accidentally spilled coffee all over you? Down the street from the company?"

Berwald smiled at the memory. It had hurt like hell and had ruined that shirt forever, but it had been worth it just to get to know Tino.

"Oh, stop smiling!" Tino said with a pout, while still trying to keep a smile off of his face from laughing at the memory too. "It wasn't that funny! I was seriously embarrassed that day!"

"It was cute," Berwald said.

"No it wasn't! It was horrible of me!"

Berwald didn't think so, but he loved seeing him blush. He couldn't but think of what it'd be like to actually marry the beautiful Omega. He thought again about the ring, but pushed it out of his mind as Tino started talking again.

"Anyway! I got a job there. So, maybe you can come visit me on your lunch breaks?" Tino said the last part shyly with a blush.

"Yeah, sounds goo'," Berwald said, his heart swimming with happiness at the thought of still being able to see Tino while he was at work. Sure, it wouldn't as often, but at least he was nearby.

Berwald smiled at Tino who gave a big smile back, and they sat there like that for a few long moment. Sappily lost in each other's' eyes. Berwald thought of the pooping the question and almost did too, until the moment was broken by Lovino, asking if they wanted refills on their drinks.

Berwald inwardly sighed. He'll work up the courage again… eventually.

That was how the rest of the evening went, every time Berwald thought about asking Tino to marry him something would break the moment or it just wasn't the right time to ask. And before Berwald knew it, they were already outside in the cool night air, walking back to the car. Maybe, he had been subconsciously been pushing asking Tino away. That depressed him a bit, but it was the truth. Berwald had been extremely nervous for this. Some Alpha he was! More scared of asking his Omega a simple question. Where was his Alpha instinct now?

He sighed to himself and snapped himself out of it, but smiling to Tino and opening the door to him. He could at least still act like a proper Omega after all.

Then he went around and got into the driver's side. He started the car and paused for a second. He was such a wimp… he couldn't even ask his mated Omega to be officially his. He didn't deserve to be his Alpha.

"Berwald," Tino started, looking straight ahead. Berwald looked over at him, snapped out of his depressing musings. "I swear to god, if I go home without a ring, I will gladly set Lukas on you myself."

Berwald blinked once, then twice, before laughing relieved. He leaned over to kiss Tino deeply before whispering, "Tino, will you marry me?"

Tino smiled. "Yes. Of course."

* * *

Berwald was driving Tino home after the long makeout session that followed the question. Tino kept fondly looking at his ring. It was perfect. Everything in his life was going so well. He now had a wonderful Alpha to officially call his own, and good job, and a new brother-in-law to boot.

Then he remembered something that was kind of important.

"It's about time you asked me," Tino teased. "My heat's coming up in a month and I _really_ didn't want to go through that alone."

The car swerved violently as Berwald blushed up to his ears in bright red.

Right. Heat.

Forgot about that.

Needless to say, Berwald was so turned on at the thought, he didn't take Tino home right away…

* * *

A/N

That last sentence was originally going to be in the author's note, but I decided just to put it in the story. Berwald's such an Alpha XD

So! I finished it! Finally! lol! I've had everything but the last scene written for like two months xD

Oh and I guess it's explanation time for the Tao part huh? Y'see, I was at a writer's block so I asked my friend to help me. She's really big into Asian pop bands I guess (I don't really know lol) and absolutely loves Tao from EXO (or at least that's what I gathered). So she said to put in Tao even if it was a hetalia fanfic. And then our other friend Skyped me at that moment saying "Do it. Do it now." So I thought "why not?" ... And I got out of my writer's block in the process xD

So if you don't like EXO then pretend it's a different Tao, and if you do like them, then I hope you liked my fanfic! XD

I still laugh at Tino's coffee order from the last chapter btw…

Hope you guys liked it! I know it probably wasn't as good as True Nature, but whatever :P

Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think! (:


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